Having not managed to travel as much as I’d have liked these last few years to visit loved ones beyond the island of Ireland I’ve made the most of sending pottery souvenirs in my place – sharing something personal and something from Ireland at the same time.
A kaleidoscope of complimentary patterns spin out and out and out.
Ireland is known for many things, including a rich tradition of music and dancing. We’ve translated this to our Chef Set, where you can imagine the bowl rims whirling in opposite directions, the concentric circles making a merry dance within each other, much like our pagan ancestors may have done around a sacred tree or a stone circle.
I imagine, off the edge of the bowl, the sheep dog ‘caller’, guiding the sheep through their céilí dance.
Our Sheepies pattern combines the Irish landscape AND dancing – who knew sheep were skilled with such fancy footwork?! Whether they’re doing The King of the Fairies Set in lines across a plate, or nose-to-tail whirling inside a bowl at the start of Lanigan’s Ball they tap out a merry jig.
One way to send a piece of Ireland to someone you love is with one of our very useful trivets. Like round cuts of turf, our trivets are that make for beautiful pieces of art for the table, or a round window where you can catch a glimpse of Ireland wherever you are. Now there’s an idea – hang your trivet like an artwork on the wall, or, make a whole gallery of them!
Tea, an essential taste of home around the world, tastes even better when drunk from an Irish pottery mug.
At Nicholas Mosse Pottery we are not just focussed on how things feel and fit in the hand, but on how they affect the experience of what they will contain. The different vessels we make hold foods and drinks for social occasions and daily routines. Over time, each piece gathers memories in itself and builds physical memories in the user. The way something feels or a specific taste can bring a vivid sense of home or recollections of a particular place. What you drink your tea from is an essential element.
For something dinky, compact and versatile, a Cylinder Jug or Sugar Bowl (with lid) are perfect for sending a token to a person who seems to have everything they need. An endlessly useful gift like this can never go amiss and is a lovely way to express that you’ve been thinking of someone. A sugar bowl by name may not necessarily be a sugar bowl in practice. These bowls can hold any number of other foods or things - condiments, herb and spice mix, rubber bands, small change, anything and everything!
Wherever you are, be it the United States, Canada, Europe (the world!), send a token to someone special wherever they are - for a birthday, Christmas or simply as a souvenir or a shared memory of Ireland. I can assure you that as they open their beautiful gift, they will also unwrap all your thoughts and love.
Susan Mosse